Editor:
I would like to respond to the Lakes District Secondary School student’s concern in last week’s editorial that “CNC Prince George took away all the programs here and now it’s mostly just trades, so we can’t get a decent education here.”
I have worked for the College of New Caledonia (CNC) for 26 years, but I’m writing as a concerned citizen, to ensure that local students are receiving correct / pertinent information about what is available at the Burns Lake campus. I would strongly encourage students to visit our Lakes Campus (Burns Lake) academic advisor and discuss the programs that are available locally.
CNC Lakes is currently offering several upper-level academic courses to prepare students for upcoming non-trades programs and trades programming this fall and next spring in Burns Lake. In September, there will be an Administrative Assistant Certificate program and a Business Management Certificate program. In October, Professional Cook—a trade—will begin. In January 2018, a two-year Practical Nurse Program has been proposed, if we have sufficient qualified applicants.
This, in addition to our current Continuing Education programs and courses that have seen 1028 enrollments since the beginning of January. We also have another 54 enrollments in longer term programs here, and on the Southside. There are many offerings available online that can be taken as well whenever and wherever it fits her schedule, and the digital delivery initiative (DDI) is being launched in 2018, making access to even more academic programming available to Burns Lake students, allowing them to remain in Burns Lake while garnering a quality education.
The local campus of CNC has always been, and will always be, proactive and responsive to community needs whenever and wherever possible. Our rural community population often dictates what can be run here, but rest assured that CNC staff work long and hard to fulfill local training needs. The doors are open and staff are listening, so please feel free to share what you would like to learn.
Yours truly,
Lynn Synotte